West Bengal police have arrested another person in connection with the alleged mob killing of Indrajit Mondal in Surjapur, Baruipur, after a teenage girl's body from a pond in the area was found. The new accused is 46-year-old Lutfar Sheikh, also known as Luto, a resident of Bhatpota in the Surjapur Hat area.
According to police sources, Lutfar's name emerged during interrogation of individuals arrested earlier in connection with the killing of Mondal. Based on the information, officers from Baruipur Police Station conducted a raid in the Surjapur area on Thursday night and arrested him.
The accused was produced Friday at Baruipur subdivision court. Police sought to hold him again to determine the extent of his involvement and identify any other people connected with the incident, the report said.
Lutfar’s arrest takes the total number of people arrested in connection with the mob killing to nine. These include Faruk Sardar, Rajesh Sardar, Shariful Mallick, Sabiuddin Baidya, Farid Sheikh, Abu Siddiq Sardar, Shamim Ali Khan, and Sakim Laskar.
The case started after the body of a minor girl was found at a pond in Surjapur a few days ago. Allegations were made that the girl had been sexually assaulted and killed, and there was anger in the town.
After the girl’s body was recovered, Indrajit Mondal was allegedly attacked by a mob on suspicion. He was beaten and died at the scene, according to the report. The situation was reported to have aroused outrage, and a police investigation of the cause of his death was launched.
The Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari later claimed that Mondal was innocent and alleged that he was targeted because of his identity. The Chief Minister also visited Mondal’s family and gave the compensation cheque of ₹25 lakh. A member of the victim’s family was also offered a civic volunteer position.
The Chief Minister said that the young man had been tied up and beaten despite being innocent. He also claimed that several people seen in videos connected to the incident had been identified and arrested.
The latest arrest signals that investigators continue to look into the sequence of events that led to Mondal’s death. Police will probe Lutfar Sheikh in custody to determine whether he was involved in the assault and if another person was involved in the mob attack.
The investigation into the teenage girl’s death and Mondal’s killing is ongoing. Authorities are still looking for evidence (witness accounts and video footage) to determine what really happened in both incidents.
